The Meng-Han Tsai Lab
Meng-Han Tsai, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Cancer Prevention, Control, & Population Health Program
Research Summary Research Interests Publications Research Team
Contact Us
The Tsai Lab
Health Sciences Campus
GCC - M. Bert Storey Research Building
1410 Laney Walker Blvd., HS-1705
(706) 721-7706
Research Summary
Dr. Tsai is an Assistant Professor of Cancer Epidemiology with a strong record of scholarship in cancer disparities, particularly in colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention and outcomes. Her research focuses on trends in CRC incidence and mortality, predictors of CRC survival, and the influence of social determinants of health on prevention, treatment outcomes, and survival rates. She has extensive experience in multilevel data analysis using large-scale datasets, including cancer registries, national surveys, and Medicare claims as well as medical records. Dr. Tsai’s long-term research goal is to increase awareness of cancer risk and improve access to care—especially for populations disproportionately affected by CRC.
Research Interests
Primary Areas of Interest:
Cancer epidemiology, social determinants of health, health disparities
Cancer Diseases of Interest:
Colorectal cancer
Other Diseases of Interest:
Women cancers (e.g., Breast and Cervical cancers)
Research Methodologies:
Secondary data analysis, including multilevel modeling and population-based datasets
Research Methodologies:
Funded projects as PI:
- Sex and racial differences in health care delivery after cancer diagnosis for early-onset colorectal cancer, ROAR SCORE, Augusta University (NIH U54), Jun 25-May 26.
- Pathways to Prevention: Exploring Social Determinants of Health in Early Onset Colorectal Cancer, National Cancer Institute (R21CA301113), Apr 25-Mar 27.
- Pathways to Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis at an Underserved Community in Georgia, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Jul 25-Jun 26.
- The Study of Colorectal Cancer Risk Perceptions and Outcomes among Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Survivors, Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Apr 24-Jun 26.
Funded projects as Co-I:
- Impacting Cancer Health Disparities and Facilitating Cancer Health Equity in Breast, Multiple Myeloma, and Prostate Cancers in Underserved and Minority Population (The cancer- Community Awareness Access Research & Education (c-CARE II), Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation, Aug 23-Feb 26
- Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Program (ASAPP); named changed to Partners in Prevention in 2021 (Burke, Jones, and Richmond County), State of Georgia, Oct 23-Sep 26
Other projects:
- The use and discussion of genetic testing in the context of cancer prevention
- The impact of social determinants of health on cancer screening utilization and cancer outcomes
Selected Publications
- Body mass index and colorectal cancer screening among cancer survivors: the role of sociodemographic characteristics. Cancer Causes Control. 2025 Jul;36(7):641-651. doi: 10.1007/s10552-025-01970-z. Epub 2025 Feb 13. PubMed PMID: 39939485.
- Chronic Conditions and Racially Biased Healthcare Experiences Impact Breast Cancer and Colorectal Cancer Screening Across Racial/Ethnic Groups. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2025 May 5;. doi: 10.1007/s40615-025-02460-3. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 40325315.
- Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Outcomes. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2025 Apr 26;. doi: 10.1007/s40615-025-02450-5. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 40287583.
- The Influence of Poverty and Rurality on Colorectal Cancer Survival by Race/Ethnicity: An Analysis of SEER Data with a Census Tract-Level Measure of Persistent Poverty. Current Oncology. 2025 April; 32(5):248.
- Race/Ethnicity, Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Status, and Papanicolaou Test Uptake Among 27-45-Year-Old Women: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of 2019-2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data. Womens Health Rep (New Rochelle). 2025;6(1):178-189. doi: 10.1089/whr.2024.0170. eCollection 2025. PubMed PMID: 40130031; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11931109.
- Social determinants of health and upper gastrointestinal cancer outcomes in the United States: a systematic review. Front Public Health. 2024;12:1477028. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1477028. eCollection 2024. PubMed PMID: 39628804; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11613319.
- A cross-sectional study of the relationship between daily social contact features and the prevalence of common mental disorders in Taiwan, 2000-2015. PLoS One. 2024;19(10):e0312154. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312154. eCollection 2024. PubMed PMID: 39418262; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11486357.
- Cancer History and Social Support Impact Colorectal Cancer Screening Utilization by Race/Ethnicity. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2024 Oct 1;17(10):481-489. doi: 10.1158/1940-6207.CAPR-24-0121. PubMed PMID: 38993044; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11484770.
- Examining Racial Disparities in the Association Between Food Swamps and Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Mortality. JCO Oncology Advances. 2024 September; 1.
- The role of a social determinants of health summary measure on the association between cancer history status and colorectal cancer screening utilization among screening eligible adults. Prev Med Rep. 2024 Sep;45:102825. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2024.102825. eCollection 2024 Sep. PubMed PMID: 39070707; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11283133.
Research Team
Kristen Caver
- Research Associate
Dongyu Zhang
- Medical Student
Parmida Jamshidi
- Medical Student
Tumi Adaramola
- Undergraduate Student
Previous Staff
Elinita Pollard